Casualties of Circumstance
by Angel Selene
Summary: YAOI 1x2 Ten years after the Eve Wars and the Hand of the Preventers has the Earth Sphere more peaceful than any thought imaginable. Everything is about to change when a 13 year old secret comes to light. A 13 year old with violet eyes...
1. Chapter I

Author: AngelSelene

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xS, 6x9, 11xR (past 2xOC)

Rating: R (may get bumped up)

Warnings: Language, references to child prostitution and pornography, rape references, OC's abound, and almost forgot: **_YAOI/YURI/SLASH/HOMOSEXUALITY _**don't like, don't read, but don't flame me.

Note: well, this is for all my poor tortured readers who are ready to kill me for Desolo and my 6x2 pairing. More angst here, but at least itz not romantic angst…

~~~~~

Prologue:

The sound of glass shattering filled the air. "Dammit, Ryan! Stop this!" The desperate tone belonged to a pretty blond woman, clothed in a nice but informal dress. 

"Stop what?! What are you so afraid of? Why won't you just tell me who my dad is?!" a boy of about thirteen yelled, as he pitched another piece of expensive China. 

"Adryan! Your father is going to be furious when he comes home!" the woman shouted.

"He's not my father so I really don't care if he's mad or not!" the boy returned, violet eyes burning with fury. 

"Go to your room!" the woman finally demanded.

"No way!"

"Now! I don't want to see you for the rest of the evening! And you'd best learn to respect your father," she snapped, pointing towards the stairs. 

"He's not my father!"

"So help me, Adryan, if I have to tell you one more time…" there was a low threat in her normally sultry voice that the boy knew better than to disobey. He turned sharply on his heel and bounded for the stairs, shoulder-length golden mane flowing around him. 

__

I'll make you regret this, Adryan thought coldly. _You'll never see me again…_

~~~~~

Chapter 1:

AC 206:

Duo smiled warmly at his beloved across the table. He and Heero were celebrating their seventh anniversary alone at the outdoor café that Heero had proposed at. There had been quite a bit of opposition at first, they had only been nineteen, but they'd also been together for three solid years. The other pilots had been highly supportive, Trowa and Quatre especially since they faced the same opposition. But they had survived, surpassed all the odds. 

Seven years ago they'd been on vacation in New York City. Four years ago, a new Preventers branch was opened there and Une had placed Heero in charge as Chief of Preventers in the American region. With Duo at his side as the head of recruitment and the most respected training officer this side of the globe, the office was flourishing with one of the best records in the entire Earth Sphere. Getting into the prestigious Preventers Academy at NYC was tantamount to the ancient West Point Academy, something both of the former pilots were exceptionally proud of. And while they were usually busy training new recruits and keeping on top of their massive work load, they occasionally took on their own investigations, leaving their personally trained assistants in charge in their stead. 

All this and they were only twenty-six. Considering their pasts, it was hardly surprising.

Of course, their youth had garnered Une a great deal of negative feedback when she'd placed them in charge, but the former Lady of OZ would not be swayed. She trusted the two implicitly and knew that they were the most capable she could ask for. Likewise, she had established Wufei and Sally in a similar branch in the Asia Major, including the one-time Solviet Union, China, Japan and Indonesia all in its stead. The central headquarters in Geneva was still headed by Une herself, and kept all of Africa and Europe in her sights. In space, Une had pulled a drastic move and placed Zechs and Noin in charge on the facility on L1, allowing them to keep track of all the colonies between L1 and L3. Quatre and Trowa were obviously heading up all of L4 and Winner resources. Under the iron fists of the five, (often called the Preventers' Hand for it's five "fingers") the entire Earth Sphere was prospering like it never had. 

Relena too had her own significant role in the Hand. She and Une had been together for the past three years, though they had yet to Avow to one another yet, their friends suspected it was only a matter of time. 

"A toast," Duo smiled joyously, raising his wine glass. "To seven happy years…"

"And seventy more," Heero finished and they clinked their glasses together and took sips before mutually leaning across the small table and sharing a chaste kiss. 

The meal passed in pleasant conversation and old recollections. Blue and violet eyes both glowed with an inner contentment that most could only dream of having. They paid their tab and set off down the street, hand in hand, more-or-less oblivious to everything but one another. Wufei had once called it the honeymoon mindset and had stated irately that they always went into that state on their anniversary. Neither cared, deciding just to enjoy the city that had become their home for the day. After all, it wasn't often they just got to enjoy all their city had to offer and one another without work looming over their heads. They loved their jobs, but these regular breaks were necessary for them to find balance in their lives. 

A bronze-haired head bumped into Duo's side and the braided man reached out with his free hand to grab him. 

"Hey! Lemme go!" the boy snarled, trying to wriggle out of the Preventer's firm grasp.

"I don't think so. Give it back," the violet-eyed man grinned, releasing Heero's hand and holding it out. "That's mine."

"No way! Finders, keepers, dude! Now lemme go!" Duo sighed and easily lifted his wallet from the thief's grip. 

"You know what, I really don't want to have to deal with this…" he trailed off as he got a good look at the boy's face. Two pairs of identical violet eyes widened in shock and the braided man's grip went slack. The boy realized it and snapped out of his shock as he prepared to run, only to be caught by his collar by Heero. "Sweet Shinigami," Duo whispered. 

"No kidding," the Japanese man admitted. It was like staring into a mirror of the past. Hair that was probably golden when clean now hung in a dirty mess around the boy's shoulders and seemed to be in need of a good trim. But the most striking things were the boy's facial features and eyes. He could've been Duo's twin thirteen years ago. It was uncanny. "Where do you live, kid?" he asked.

"I don't have a home!" the boy snapped, wriggling uselessly in Heero's iron grip. 

Duo snapped back to the present. "Yes you do. You're a runaway. Probably from a good family too, by the looks of you," the braided man rubbed his temples absently. 

"How would you know?!"

"Because you'd have to be new to the streets to be that bad at picking pockets by the time you're this old. You're not bad, but you're still learning. And you picked the wrong mark today, kiddo," he replied, still a little unnerved by the resemblance. "Now, where do you live?"

"I'm not telling you!" Violet and Prussian exchanged knowing looks.

"Definitely new. Definitely from a good family," Heero nodded. 

"Oh yeah. Okay… you're probably from the Silver Hills area. 'Ro, why don't we snag a taxi and head out that way?" he suggested.

"No! Lemme go, you freak!"

A police officer approached the three, looking terribly unsure. "Sirs…?" he asked.

Duo flipped out his Preventer ID. "Agents Duo and Heero Maxwell, Officer. Just taking a runaway home," he informed. The officer straightened immediately, saluting the two then turned his attention elsewhere. The Preventers still used the support of local police forces to handle the more mundane matters of society, though they'd been so effective that the Preventers as a whole had very nearly become a police force themselves. There wasn't a whole lot in the way of major threats for them to deal with anymore. 

Heero sighed heavily. "Sorry, Duo," he apologized. "I—"

The braided man held up a hand. "I know. We still have a few more days off, so let's get this kiddo home then take the time for ourselves, okay?"

The Japanese man's lips twisted in a small smile but his eyes were beaming as he nodded. "Okay, kid. Let's go." He held out a hand and a taxi stopped. The Preventers trapped the boy between them as Duo gave directions to Silver Hills. 

"What in the Earth Sphere makes you think I'm from a place like Silver Hills?" the boy demanded. 

"A lot of things. Anyway, you got a name, kid?" the violet eyed man asked, effortlessly changing the subject. "Or would you prefer 'kid'?"

"Ryan!" he snarled out. "My name's Ryan," he slumped between the two, looking every inch the spoiled child throwing a fit. 

"Thank you," Duo smiled as Heero pulled out his cell. 

"Miss? Yeah, it's me. Listen could you do a quick look-up for me? Yeah, I know we're supposed to be on break, I promise, we'll take care of this then go back to enjoying ourselves," he chuckled as his assistant berated him liberally. Melissa, or Miss as she preferred to be called, had been hand picked and trained personally by Heero to help him. She had become like a little sister to the couple and was almost painfully competent. She also had a streak of mother hen in her that was a mile wide. "If you're busy you can hand it over to Charlie… Okay, okay… I won't suggest it's below you again." The Preventer Chief's face was amusingly animated as he spoke. It had taken Duo years to get his husband to be more open with people, and he had succeeded well. "Could you get into the police files, check up any missing children reports? Okay, another stupid question," he scowled briefly. "Yes, cross-reference Ryan, first name or as a nickname. Blondish hair, violet eyes, about thirteen years of age, height 5'5", approximate weight 115," he rattled off. "Any matching reports?" he asked after a moment while the boy stared at him in open shock. "Adryan Morel?" he traded looks with Duo that were dark. "Adryan?" he asked the boy.

"You can't make me go back…" he sulked. 

Heero turned back to his phone. "Yeah, that's him. You can take him off missing… that's very interesting. Okay. Thanks, Miss. We will," he rolled his eyes theatrically. "Bye," he hung up before she could continue. "It seems like our kid here is habitual runaway. So much so that the police don't really worry about him too much. He usually goes home after about a week. But this time, he's been gone for almost a month," he looked at the boy pointedly. "Actually, from what Miss told me, every time you disappear it's for longer and longer."

"I wasn't going to go back this time." Heero was acutely struck by how much the boy looked like his husband as he moped in his seat. 

"Well, we're taking you back," he informed, giving the driver the precise address. "You know, it really is uncanny how much you look alike," he admitted. "A little creepy too."

"You should try it from this end," both Duo and Adryan replied, and froze. 

"Okay, now that's just eerie," the braided man declared. 

"No kidding," the boy agreed, stealing glances at the braided man out of the corner of his eye. "You know… my dad's not my real dad… maybe we're half brothers or something?" he suggested tentatively. 

"Doubtful. I don't remember my parents, but I do remember the distinct impression that they were gone and not coming back," he admitted. It had taken a long time for Duo to be able to talk casually about any part of his past. But the fact he was an orphan was one of the parts he could most freely speak of. It helped him to relate to many of the agents he trained. 

"How old are you anyway?" the boy asked.

"About twenty-six, why?"

"About? I thought only girls lied about their age," he scoffed.

The braided man made a face. "Forgive me for not remembering my birthday either," he stuck out his tongue. "Let's just nail it down and say I'm twenty-six, okay?

__

He's way too young then… Adryan thought ruefully. 

"So… why Ryan?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you tell us your name was Ryan?" Heero clarified.

"Ryan's my nickname. Ever since I realized the name 'Ryan' was spelled out in 'Adryan' I started demanding to be called it. Adryan always sounded so much like a girls' name to me… and a lot of my classmates thought so too," his violet eyes darkened. 

It was like watching a miniature of his lover, and it was distinctly uncomfortable for Heero. The taxi pulled up and they all climbed out Heero's door behind the passenger seat, making sure to keep Adryan between himself and his husband. The Japanese man paid the driver and the two marched the boy up to the front of the house and knocked on the door. It was opened a few moments later by a butler.

"Hello, oh, you've brought Master Adryan back I see," he commented dryly. 

"Adryan!" a lady's voice came from above and soft footsteps padded quickly down the hall then came flying down the steps. Duo froze in his place. "Ryan! My baby! You're home!" she was dressed in a nice gown but that didn't stop her from sweeping the dirty boy into her arms.

"Mom!!" Ryan protested.

"Oh, thank you so much!" she babbled, then looked up and met stunned violet eyes for the first time in thirteen years.

"Tessa?"

TSUZUKU… 


	2. Chapter II

Warnings: uh… therez gonna be some squicky material in this chapter dealing w/ child prostitution. Don't like, don't read. I don't know how many times I can say it.

~~~~

Chapter 2:

"Tessa?" A cold chill ran down Duo's spine.

"Duo? Oh dear God… Duo Maxwell?" she asked, and suddenly both she and the braided man looked very pale. 

"Mom… how do you know Duo?" Ryan asked, looking between the two, comprehension dawning in his eyes as Duo shook his head as if in denial. 

"No…"

"Duo… I… I never had the chance to tell you—"

"NO!" he turned to run, only to have Heero catch him. 

"Duo! Duo! Calm down! Duo! Tell me what's going on!" the Japanese man snapped, trying to bring his husband back to himself. "Oshiete, ore no itoshii (_tell me, my beloved)_," he whispered, taking the violet-eyed man's chin in his hand, forcing their eyes to meet. He fell back into Japanese, which for some reason, always seemed to get through to Duo when he was upset. "What's wrong?"

"Mom, what didn't you have the chance to tell him?" Ryan demanded, a knowing tone in his voice. "Didn't have the chance to tell him he was going to be a _father_, is that it, Mom?" he was stepping back. "Is that why he looks like me!?"

"Duo is your father, Ryan…" she admitted. "And that is why _you_ look like _him_."

"Liar!" Duo wheeled around to face the woman, desperation in his eyes. "There's no way… I… I _can't_ be, Tessa… I was too young…"

She gave an ironic smile. "You were always ahead of your time, Duo…" She took a deep breath. "You disappeared before I found out."

"What are you two talking about!? You're only twenty-six, Duo! You told me yourself!" Ryan shot, pain in his voice. "He _can't_ be my father! He's only thirteen years older than I am! He would've had to have been thirteen when you—" he broke off, shuddering. 

"Twelve…" Duo corrected, throat tight. "I was twelve when I got off L2…" 

A disgusted look crossed the boy's face as he looked between his mother and Duo. "What the fuck were you doing?! Fucking someone half your age!" he blurted.

"Ryan, language!" Tessa shot. 

"He was half your age! You were twenty-four when you had me… if he was twelve…" the violet-eyed boy looked vaguely ill. "That's sick…"

"Ryan, you don't understand!" the blond woman protested, deep brown eyes filled with tears.

"Then explain it to me! Make me understand!" 

"Tessa, don't!" Duo interrupted. "God, he's only thirteen… he doesn't need to know…" he pleaded.

"Hey, you were only twelve when you were fucking my mother!" Ryan shot back.

"Ryan—" 

"—Language!" Tessa and Duo looked at one another almost in horror as they realized they'd finished the admonishment in unison. 

Duo took a deep, shaky breath. "I was a lot different from you."

"I'm not as innocent as you seem to think. I've been on the streets, remember? I've seen stuff—"

"You were born and raised in this house in the best part of one of the most well-off cities in the world! You know nothing about real life and I'm not going to be the one who strips every bit of innocence you have from you! You've spent a couple of months on the streets. You were alone on a mark, you've been alone out there! You still have no idea what humanity is capable of!" the braided man shouted, catching his son completely off guard. 

Heero seemed to have all the pieces in place. "Perhaps we should go sit down somewhere and try to talk about this rationally?" he suggested. "And I do believe an introduction is in order. I'm Heero Maxwell, Duo's Avowed," he held out his hand.

"Altessa Morel. It's a pleasure to meet the American Chief of Preventers," she gave a small bow rather than taking his hand. 

Ryan looked a little surprised and a little irritated for not having realized it earlier. 

"Do you have anywhere we can sit down, Tessa?" Duo asked. "I'm not feeling very well at the moment…" The admission was more telling than his physical appearance. The braided man was ashen, shaking and cool to the touch. It was something neither Heero nor Duo himself had ever really figured out, but for whatever reason, whenever Duo was under extreme emotional stress, he got very cold. The best Sally had been able to surmise was that it was something akin to shock. 

"Yes, of course," she quickly lead them into a sitting room of some sort. It was tastefully furnished in dark woods and blue hues but no one was really in a state of mind to appreciate it. Reflexively, the violet-eyed man slipped off his shoes as he sat down next to Heero, curling up against his husband, allowing the other man to support him. It was a position which the Preventer Chief still felt honored to take. So few were the people Duo would allow to help him…He wrapped an arm around his beloved, holding a hand in his own. Both hands were rough and callused, and they both knew every callus, cut and crack on one another's hands. All were quiet for a moment as Duo regained his mental footing and stopped shaking so hard. 

"You can't lie to him, itoshii…" Heero whispered softly. 

"I don't want him to know…"

"Don't want me to know what?" Ryan asked, conflicting emotions raging inside of him as he watched the two men curl into one another as if they were halves of a whole. He knew instantly that his dream of his mom divorcing his stepfather and marrying his real dad would never come about. "Whatever it is… I can take it…"

Duo buried his head in Heero's chest. "Shinigami… Ryan, I've done so many things in my life I'm not proud of… things that I'm downright ashamed of… I don't want you to know those things about me…" he took a tremulous breath. "Maybe it would be best if Heero and I left and just forgot about this…"

"NO!" Ryan leapt to his feet. "I don't wanna forget about this! I've always known that my real dad was out there! I… I'm not sure how I feel about your and my mom's relationship but I don't want to lose you!" Violet eyes bore into their mirror, pleading. "I just found you…"

"Tessa?" his tone was one asking for permission. 

"I have no problem with you being a part of Ryan's life, Duo. He's been begging me to find you for years…" she admitted, the chuckled humorously. "And to think all this time you were right under my nose…"

" 'Ro?"

"Whatever you want, Duo…" he assured, hugging him. 

"What about Heath?" Ryan wondered. 

"Who?" Duo's mind was still somewhat off-kilter. 

"My husband," Tessa replied. "Heath Morel…" Duo froze at the name, but made no other outward response. A slight tightening of his grip on the braided man's hands was Heero's only response. "Oh, dear… Heath is not going to like this… I'm certain he'll raise custody hearings and…"

The violet-eyed Preventer winced. "That's not going to reflect well on either of us, or on him. Maybe if we just discuss it with him?" he offered tentatively. 

"No. Heath is very possessive."

"Maybe he'll reconsider when he realizes he'll be going up against the Hand of the Preventers as character witnesses," Heero pointed out. "Your husband is well off, Mrs. Morel, but compared with infallible character witnesses like myself, Lady Une, Quatre Winner and Relena Dorlian… he's not really going to stand a chance. Though I have to agree with Duo. A trial could bring some very… dark things to light. It'd be best to go around it if at all possible. A settlement," he suggested. "Or just take it to family court, have a quick DNA test done, and let Ryan decide for himself who he wants to be with. He's old enough, and blood really does hold a great deal of sway. No matter how old Duo was when he was born, the truth is he never had a chance to exercise his paternal rights because he didn't know he was a father. That is no one's fault."

"Questionable past," Duo pointed out.

"War hero," the shorthaired man retorted softly. 

"My age? Ability as a parent?"

"Duo, you train agents for a living. You spend at least ten hours a week at the Maxwell and Helen Memorial Orphanage a week. An orphanage, which need I remind you, _you_ founded _and_ has the highest rate of adoptions this side of the globe? A few rocky places in your past are not going to overshadow all the good you've done," Heero sighed. It was a very old argument. Duo's insecurities ran deep and they could be very frustrating at times, but the Prussian-eyed man couldn't admit that he didn't understand where they stemmed from. "Honestly, I think you could probably win custody hands-down if you took this to court. We can call Quatre and have him look over it, but I'm sure he'll tell you the same things."

"You really know all those people, Duo?" Tessa asked, somewhat surprised. Heero pulled out his wallet and handed it over, showing a group picture from their Day of Vows. It was hard not to recognize some of the people in it, and the blond woman handed it back. "But how…? How could…"

"How could a whore from L2 have gotten so far?" the braided man asked the question he knew was weighing on her mind. 

"A what?" Ryan asked, reminding them of his presence.

"Heero's right. I can't lie to you… I won't. You may hate me for telling you this, but I was a prostitute when I was younger. Your mom was one of my regulars," he admitted, sitting up a little straighter, awaiting his son's judgement. He took a deep breath and met his son's eyes squarely. 

It was all Ryan could do not to run from his father's eyes… his eyes. Violet orbs that were so much older than his true age, that held such pain and, in their depths, strength and love. Eyes that had seen so much… Hands that had done so much, and at twenty-six, when he should've just been finding his place in the world, he had long ago established his place. It was very humbling. 

"I… I want to try it… I want to stay with you, Dad," he offered tentatively. He wanted to make those eyes shine in pride, shine in love. He wanted those violet eyes, so like his own, to look at him the way his stepfather's never had. 

Duo gave a final questioning look to his Avowed, but Heero merely smiled softly and laid a tender kiss on Duo's hair. "Whatever you want, itoshii. Whatever you need."

The braided man pulled away from his husband and opened his arms. Ryan's brilliant smile made him look exactly like his father had when he'd been younger as he ran to his father's arms. 

__

So this is what a dad's arms should feel like, Ryan thought to himself, taking a deep breath and letting the scent of his father envelope him. _He feels like…_home.

__

My son… Duo thought a little awed, feeling wetness gathering at the corners of his eyes. _My baby… Okay, God, you've won… This is a miracle. _

~~~

To be continued…


End file.
